Medway Selectmen approve expansion of fire department

In a move that will double the size of Medway Fire Department's personnel, Selectmen voted on Monday night to fund the hiring of two additional firefighters in the fiscal year 2014 budget.

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Milford Daily News

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Posted Mar. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 27, 2013 at 3:56 AM

By Lindsay Corcoran/Daily News staff

Posted Mar. 27, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Mar 27, 2013 at 3:56 AM

MEDWAY

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In a move that will double the size of Medway Fire Department's personnel, Selectmen voted on Monday night to fund the hiring of two additional firefighters in the fiscal year 2014 budget.

Adding the two firefighters will allow the department to provide around-the-clock staffing and maintain the state license to operate the town’s ambulances.

Fire Chief Jeffrey Lynch said he was pleased with the board’s decision to approve the budget increase.

“This will ensure we can get ambulances out around-the-clock and in a timely manner,” Lynch said. “It is going to help with our fire response as well and decrease our response time.”

The fire department budget will be about 80 percent, or roughly $700,000, higher thanks to Monday’s vote, bringing the total budget to about $1.3 million.

Selectmen are still finalizing the exact budget numbers following a few reductions, which include stipends, overtime and purchasing turnout gear.

The two additional firefighter/EMTs are on top of another two the department received this year - bringing the number of personnel up to eight - after an outside consultant recommended bringing the department up to a staffing level of 12.

The extra staff is also needed to fulfill the state-required staffing levels to continue operating an ambulance service in town. Officials learned in January that the town was in danger of losing its contract due to inadequate staffing on overnight shift.

“Quite frankly, because of the state requirement, we’re almost forced into doing it,” said Selectman Dennis Crowley.

He said the only way they were able to fund the increase this year was thanks to the school department, which agreed to use some of its reserves and ask for $467,000 less from the town.

Crowley said the board remains concerned over incurring the recurring cost of salaries, but noted they are working toward making the ambulance service more profitable.

The board agreed to fund a new method of training for firefighters, who currently provide Basic Life Support services on the ambulance. The switch would be to provide Advanced Life Support, which allows the town to charge more. They will fund two firefighters a year for the next four years and, Crowley said, expect to recoup those costs in five years and begin to turn a profit.

“This wasn’t something that we took lightly,” Crowley said of the board’s decision to fund the dramatically increased budget. “We spent a lot of time and did a lot of evaluation on cost analysis.”

Lindsay Corcoran can be reached at 508-634-7582 or lcorcoran@wickedlocal.com.